Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American (United States) politician. He is a former Governor (Governor of California) and Secretary of State (California Secretary of State) of the State of California and currently serves as Californias Attorney General (California Attorney General). He is facing former eBay CEO Meg Whitman for Governor of California in the 2010 general election (California gubernatorial election, 2010), having won the June Democratic primary against nominal opposition.

Brown has had a lengthy political career, spanning terms on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees (1969-1971), as California Secretary of State (1971-1975), as Governor of California (1975-1983), as chair of the California Democratic Party (1989-1991), the Mayor of Oakland (Oakland, California) (1998-2006), and the Attorney General of California (2007-present). He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nominations for president (President of the United States) in 1976 (U.S. presidential election, 1976), 1980 (U.S. presidential election, 1980), and 1992 (U.S. presidential election, 1992), and was an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 1982. Since Browns terms in office are not covered by the term limits that came into effect in 1990, he is not barred from running for Governor again.